What radiator options??

Hi, my car has been overheating the past couple of days, in that time I have replaced thermo fan, flushed coolant and checked all connections. It had stopped overheating in town and was going fine, until on my way to work this morning I found the car OVERHEATING!! on the highway! WTF!!! Highway = high flowing air into radiator = how the hell does it overheat, isn't it supposed to overheat in town.

Take it to my mechanic looks at it and sees that the top coolant hose, is bulging and says to me there is alot of pressure and says the reason my car is overheating could be because of lack of flow. Therefore he tells me my radiator might be blocked and might need to be fixed/replaced. He was also telling me the radiator I have is "too small" and might have to consider for a full size radiator.

However, my manifold and turbo stick out a fair bit and this can cause some clearance issues.

I just wanted to know what other types of radiators are out there for the guys who are running turbo setups?

Also is my radiator up to the job (as in getting a new one of same size).

Pics.
http://img251.imageshack.us/img251/8766/dsc03498m.jpg http://img251.imageshack.us/img251/d...jpg/1/w800.png

http://img96.imageshack.us/img96/3727/dsc03496m.jpg http://img96.imageshack.us/img96/dsc...jpg/1/w800.png

Do you actually use coolant???

Radiator size is fine. It was fine previously wasn't it? Half size radiator has/is used 1000's of times by people with turbo setups, with no issues.

Brands, PWR, Koyo, Flyidine, Mishimoto. Have a look at the traders section on the forum.

Best way to make sure its the radiator is to take it out and inspect. Make sure it does actually flow.

lol yes i I actually do use coolant, diluted it to 33%, just changed it yesterday.

I am going to take it out and actually see if there is a blockage in it.

So a half size radiator is fine, good

time to check it!

thanks DL001

Quote:

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Originally Posted by fromdeeeast

lol yes i I actually do use coolant, diluted it to 33%, just changed it yesterday.

I am going to take it out and actually see if there is a blockage in it.

So a half size radiator is fine, good

time to check it!

thanks DL001

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thats the problem there you dilute your coolant lol

use oem honda

sounds like your rad is blocked from you using diluted coolant

Check thermostat?

Radiator size is fine. People buy parts and dont kknow how to get the best out of each part which is the problem these days.

The issue with the halfsize is that you have a big gap next to the radiator and what happens when your driving along is that the air is bypassing the radiator and going through that big gap next to it. Think about it. Block that big gap next to the radiator and the air has no where to go but through the radiator. But then what can happen now is that the air will go over the top of the radiator. So thats where diversion plates come into the picture. Air is pushed back down and through the radiator. You are now using your radiator to its optimum potential.

Hope that helps.

good point.

For example - standard honda cars that come with NO aircon ( breeze for example) actually come with a block off plate to divert more air to the radiator for maximum efficiency

Quote:

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Originally Posted by SLOWEGG

Check thermostat?

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considering getting this changed soon

I will look into getting some air diversion plates getting made just to block off the gap and top, this is really good advice.

Could water pump also spark this issue, if so how do I determine if it is not working?

And 90LAN can diluting it really cause this issue or you pulling my leg?? wtf

It said to dilute the concentrate and as far as I know your supposed to? WTF im tripped out now :( Did I do something stupid by replacing it or what

just do what i suggested, if that doesnt work then it was no harm in doing anyway. But to me coz you said you its worst when highway driving then i think that could be your issue, Also you have to realise it get really hot under your bonnet there especially when you force inducted as well. First thing to get rid of all that hot air trapped inside that engine bay. eg, slighty raising the bonnet ( closest to the windscreen end) to let the hot air escape. Even ducting the radiator by fabricating a shroud to direct the hot air elsewhere.All this will do keep your engine nice and cool.

Not only, all this can be done by you. So a very effective application both financially and the longevity on your car.

have you had the radiator out and pressure tested for leaks/blockage??

pulled it out earlier tonight and taking it tomorrow to get cleaned/looked at

FLICK, I will take everything you said into consideration, I will definitely look at making some shrouds and diversion panels for it.

Cheers

Quote:

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Originally Posted by fromdeeeast

Hi, my car has been overheating the past couple of days, in that time I have replaced thermo fan, flushed coolant and checked all connections. It had stopped overheating in town and was going fine, until on my way to work this morning I found the car OVERHEATING!! on the highway! WTF!!! Highway = high flowing air into radiator = how the hell does it overheat, isn't it supposed to overheat in town.

Take it to my mechanic looks at it and sees that the top coolant hose, is bulging and says to me there is alot of pressure and says the reason my car is overheating could be because of lack of flow. Therefore he tells me my radiator might be blocked and might need to be fixed/replaced. He was also telling me the radiator I have is "too small" and might have to consider for a full size radiator.

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i had this prob with my crx a while back, when it got real hot, the hoses would bulge/expand.i also changed themostat, flushed oem coolant and got my radiator cleaned and pressure tested all didnt fix the prob.
then when i changed over the hoses and everything has been fine for over a year now.

strange, I might buy some tomorrow lol

who knows might be simple enough to fix it lol

Ok, I took the radiator today cleaned it and looked for blockages and found none. I then put it back in a put coolant in blah blah and released the air and took it for a drive. It still overheats on the highway.

I know need to start eliminating causes.

Thermostat - thermo fan switches on and car is cool intown driving so no
Radiator- Just cleaned and checked it, couldn't find any issues so no

My next guess is water pump.

What else could it be?

did u change the thermostat?
That was my problem.

Ok, took my radiator in this morning and its blocked.

Guy wanted $350 to fix, sooo I am looking for a new half size radiator.

Is a civic B16 radiator useable with a B18 Integra as I am finding alot more for the civic.

Also where would I be able to get one of these bad boys.

I don't want too cheap out on a radiator because I know getting a cheap one now will make me replace it soon anyways

Half size radiator for DC2 Wanted! HELP!

ring performance exhaust in northmead, they do order them, i've got one off them

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Limbo

ring performance exhaust in northmead, they do order them, i've got one off them

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OMG legend!

Do you remember how much it set you back at all?

That would be very helpful.

Im guessing something like this is too shit to use right? http://cgi.ebay.com.au/Aluminum-Radi...item27ae57afa7

My car overheats on Honda OEM coolant as its too thick for an aluminium radiator!!!

Changed to Castrol post mix and mix 30% coolant 70% Water

Problem solved :thumbsup:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by bennjamin

good point.

For example - standard honda cars that come with NO aircon ( breeze for example) actually come with a block off plate to divert more air to the radiator for maximum efficiency

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This is also what my Tuner told me to do for even better cooling

can't rem, but best to give Hakan there a call he can organise one for you. Pretty sure its less than the $350 you'd have to pay!
I've been using mine for 2 yrs now no issues

Quote:

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Originally Posted by fromdeeeast

OMG legend!

Do you remember how much it set you back at all?

That would be very helpful.

Im guessing something like this is too shit to use right? http://cgi.ebay.com.au/Aluminum-Radi...item27ae57afa7

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Quote:

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Originally Posted by Lukezen27

My car overheats on Honda OEM coolant as its too thick for an aluminium radiator!!!

Changed to Castrol post mix and mix 30% coolant 70% Water

Problem solved :thumbsup:



This is also what my Tuner told me to do for even better cooling

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Weird thing is it wasn't overheating before. I flushed my radiator and using Nulon concentrate to 30% diluted and it started overheating.

You reckon using a different coolant or diluting it more to like 20-25% would make it less likely to overheat.

Thing is it was not overheating before??

Hmm this might be something to do before buying a new rad

check your hoses when it get hot. are they both hot? is one hot etc there are only a few things that can make your car overheat and cooling is usually not one of them.

fans not engaging- do your thermos come on and go off..does your overheated car cool down in this time?

radiator bloackage- as discussed before, also it happens alot so dont rule it out

hoses- blocked/clogged with scale and other cooling system contaminants. or leaking hoses can be an issue also. is your car using coolant?

thermostat- if your top hose is hot and bottom is cold then generally your thermostat is gone

cracked head/gasket- if your car has boiled over and cracked the head or gasket then you may have rectified the first overheating problem but now are dealing with a much larger problem. have a mechanic do a headcheck on your car. they generally wont charge for this.

diluting coolant is not the answer to anybodies problem coolant is supposed to be 50-50 mixed. i reccomend oem coolant because its pretty and blue. but seriously manufacturers in most cases advise that you dont change coolant for the first 100,000 obviously the stuff they use isnt shit

above say the radiator place told him the radiator is blocked

Im using an ebay rad on my evo.. works perfectly fine. Think the brand is ASI.

Yep, tried to dilute the coolant down today still didn't

Thanks to Limbo I'm getting my hands on a half size radiator for a good price.

All should be good soon

Thanks Limbo!

my brother is running a ebay radiator from a guy and works great no probs at all with it

Quote:

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Originally Posted by gee-aye-dee

check your hoses when it get hot. are they both hot? is one hot etc there are only a few things that can make your car overheat and cooling is usually not one of them.

fans not engaging- do your thermos come on and go off..does your overheated car cool down in this time?

radiator bloackage- as discussed before, also it happens alot so dont rule it out

hoses- blocked/clogged with scale and other cooling system contaminants. or leaking hoses can be an issue also. is your car using coolant?

thermostat- if your top hose is hot and bottom is cold then generally your thermostat is gone

cracked head/gasket- if your car has boiled over and cracked the head or gasket then you may have rectified the first overheating problem but now are dealing with a much larger problem. have a mechanic do a headcheck on your car. they generally wont charge for this.

diluting coolant is not the answer to anybodies problem coolant is supposed to be 50-50 mixed. i reccomend oem coolant because its pretty and blue. but seriously manufacturers in most cases advise that you dont change coolant for the first 100,000 obviously the stuff they use isnt shit

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Yeah coolant can make a big difference

aluminum radiator & coolant
http://www.google.com.au/search?hl=e...num+radiater+c

O M G!!!!

Just changed my radiator, and guess what? IT STILL OVERHEATS!!!

OMG!!!

water pump?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by fromdeeeast

O M G!!!!

Just changed my radiator, and guess what? IT STILL OVERHEATS!!!

OMG!!!

water pump?

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1. Checked if the fans kicking correctly and staying on while hot?

2. Checked if the thermostats working by feeling the bottom rad hose to see if it's hot once the fans kicked in a few times?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Lukezen27

1. Checked if the fans kicking correctly and staying on while hot?

2. Checked if the thermostats working by feeling the bottom rad hose to see if it's hot once the fans kicked in a few times?

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Checked both of these, my thermo fan works perfectly and thermostat works perfectly as well.

What else could it be? Water pump?

if you've change to a new thermostat & changed the radiator, only thing i can think of is water pump left or a blockage in the pipes or engine.

If those aren't it it could be a head gasket problem, know to happen in turbo cars.

Radiator place should be able to tell you where its at.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by fromdeeeast

Checked both of these, my thermo fan works perfectly and thermostat works perfectly as well.

What else could it be? Water pump?

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My turbo D used to overheat due to a tiny head gasket leak into cylinder 4

HG changed and never happened again till she blew up hahah

sounds like you got duped into buying a new radiator haha

Check the flow of coolant through the radiator cap (from a cold start till warm). I reckon its the thermostat stuck closed. try running it without a thermostat.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by flipfire

sounds like you got duped into buying a new radiator haha

Check the flow of coolant through the radiator cap (from a cold start till warm). I reckon its the thermostat stuck closed. try running it without a thermostat.

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true dat!!

meh I dont care anymore tbh, I'll keep it anyway lol

hmmm so headgasket or water pump?

So how do I determine if either one of these is wrecked?

Where is the water pump? I read that to get to the water pump you have to remove the timing belt? But this was on a US forum so I'm not sure if its the same

Also as Lukezen27 mentioned and I might have a small leak in my headgasket how do I tell if its gone? Besides looking for oil in the coolant etc. Would this show even if it is slightly busted?

i thought you had diagnoised from the radiator guy that it was a blocked radiator?

When u said thermostat work perfectly you tested the thermostat or you brought a new one?

Ok Headgasket, u need to do a leak down and exhaust fume test. They test the pressure & they test with this chemical if there is any exhuast fumes leaking into the coolant system.

waterpump, can't really tell unless you pull it apart. I think it is behind the timing belt.
i'm not sure on that one.

Have you changed your radiator cap?

Edit:

Car somehow miraciously is not overheating

I installed the new radiator yesterday and it overheated. I cracked the shits this morning and done it again, flushed radiator and put the fluid back in.

Only difference I did today was turn on the heater fan. I read this last night in a DIY thread here on ozhonda

So i did that and took the car for a drive. Drove for approximately 40ks on the highway and it didnt overheat! It sat and 1/3 most of the way but towards the end it was at the halfway - slightly above halfway mark.

I took this into consideration considering my coolant is really really shit diluted stylez

So could the reason of all my overheating be because of the air or whatever it is being trapped through the heater or somin? If so im a bloody retard

EDIT:

Ok, so I drove the car now, at 6pm for about 25 mins on highway, it was pretty tame, heat stayed at 1/3 for 10 mins or so, then creeped up to half and stayed there for a bit. Then it creeped up to 3/4 then started to go back down to half<

What I have seen is that it now takes longer for it to overheat than before, but the problem is still not fixed. It is know able to driven on a highway but still an issue

Options?

like i asked a while back. List what you have done. All i have heard is;
Changed radiator
Changed coolant
Checked thermostat

Is that all now?

When u bled the coolant did you run the car till it got hot with the cap off and the heater on?
If not chances are you've still got air bubbles.

If u did do it properly look back at my last post

Squeeze the hoses lightly, helps get the air bubbles out, just make sure you dont squeeze too hard that the coolant spill out.

There is also a proper bleed valve, you should find it and open it up till coolant comes out.

Quote:

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Ok, so I drove the car now, at 6pm for about 25 mins on highway, it was pretty tame, heat stayed at 1/3 for 10 mins or so, then creeped up to half and stayed there for a bit. Then it creeped up to 3/4 then started to go back down to half<

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This sounds like the thermostat. Did those temp changes happen while moving at the same speed or with stopping?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Limbo

like i asked a while back. List what you have done. All i have heard is;
Changed radiator
Changed coolant
Checked thermostat

Is that all now?

When u bled the coolant did you run the car till it got hot with the cap off and the heater on?
If not chances are you've still got air bubbles.

If u did do it properly look back at my last post

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Just done and OMG THANK YOU!!

Car didn't overheat at all. the temp didn't move past 1/3, I guess there was just ALOT of air.

good. The only time mine moved over 1/3 was from a dead thermostat, which died cos of air bubbles :)

It shouldn't really move now with the thicker core radiator. Mine went to half way at wakefield on a 30degree+ day and only after 6-7 laps going hard

Hmmm, this car hates me

Didn't overheat or move for a fact for 70kms, on my way back from work this afternoon, it decided to start overheat on the highway.

I have ran out of ideas to what can be causing this issue.

I have replaced radiator, coolant, bleed all the air out and checked everything.

What could still be causing it to overheat on the highway. I am getting an air diversion plate made up next week for it, to see if that helps at all.

Ideas?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by mooshie

Have you changed your radiator cap?

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have you done this yet?

Haven't had much to do with this kind of thing but i know the factory gauges and sensors can be pretty average, do you know anyone with an aftermarket sensor and gauge to see what sort of temp your running.
If you think it as a whole, the water pump always is running, the radiator is new and so is the coolant, and the only thing that normally stops your temp continue to rise is your thermostat, providing your thermofan is working.
So u would say that maybe your thermostat is sticking, like it pops but when it closes it sticks.
or as limbo said about the bubbles, but you did try that and it stopped for abit then started so maybe you have cracked hoses?
as I said not really touched on this before but just abit of food for thought

a simple test to see if your thermostat is not opening.

take ur thermostat out and dont run one. go for a drive and see if it overheats. if it does, then its not ur thermostat. if it doesnt, its your thermostat.

water pumps usually leak when they are stuffed.

hows your head gasket?

Have you considered the switch/gauge being faulty. My old neighbours charade was overheating, he tried everything and finally replaced the switch and that was causing all the issues (the car was never really overheating). His car also overheated when driving on the highway though

Also what are people talking about not diluting your coolant and diluting it...

You get 2 types of coolant, ready mix (which you don't dilute) such as OEM and others and then you get concentrate (which you have to dilute)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by markismaximus

Have you considered the switch/gauge being faulty. My old neighbours charade was overheating, he tried everything and finally replaced the switch and that was causing all the issues (the car was never really overheating). His car also overheated when driving on the highway though

Also what are people talking about not diluting your coolant and diluting it...

You get 2 types of coolant, ready mix (which you don't dilute) such as OEM and others and then you get concentrate (which you have to dilute)

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By switch are you referring to the one which controls the thermo fan, if so this is working, as I just tested now, it opens up and turns off like any other car.

Update.

Have purchased thermostat, will be installing it tomorrow, I am also considering replacing the top and bottom radiator hoses.

Also I need a new thermo fan as mine just f****n broke which I just replaced it 2 weeks ago for $65!!

So now hopefully I will see if the water pump is working by when I change my thermostat. If water pump is fine and new thermo goes in and it still overheats I will be taking it to my mechanic/tuner to get that test which detects the presence of exhaust gases in the coolant to determine if I have blown my headgasket.

Should a frustrating couple of days, YAY! :@

Quote:

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Originally Posted by fromdeeeast

By switch are you referring to the one which controls the thermo fan, if so this is working, as I just tested now, it opens up and turns off like any other car.

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Yes, one of these switches is temp switch. How did you test it?
Put it in hot water? and check that the switch was "on"?

Then there is the gauge temp sending unit. This is what may also be stuffed.

http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/d...ida/Thermo.jpg

I'm stopped overheating with the following changed

Motl 15-50 (was using Edge 5-30)
Castrol mixed 20-30% (was using Honda OEM)

Not one overheat since!

About a month now heavy driving

Basically, switch was on, plug for it wasn't connected properly, was like wtf why isn't thermo fan working? Connected it and thermo fan starts spinning so I'm pretty sure its working.

I don't believe the heat gauge is faulty, as the car actually does get hot!

I am now believing that my issue is flow related. I believe the is something restricting flow within the system, whether it being a stuck open thermostat to faulty pump to headgasket to split hoses (but not losing fluid). So flow is the problem now

HMMM!!??!!

When the car is overheating is the thermofan running constantly? or does it turn on and off as if the car was a normal temp?

Na it isn't running constantly on, it turns on and off

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Lukezen27

I'm stopped overheating with the following changed

Motl 15-50 (was using Edge 5-30)
Castrol mixed 20-30% (was using Honda OEM)

Not one overheat since!

About a month now heavy driving

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I just changed my oil 2 weeks ago I am using Nulon 10W-40, the gold bottle.

As far as I know this is suitable for the turbo integra

Or not?

Check the radiator fins for any roadkill

Quote:

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Originally Posted by fromdeeeast

Na it isn't running constantly on, it turns on and off

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that's why I say check your temp gauge sender/ gauge cluster. If the fan isn't running constantly your car can't be overheating. Or it would be running permanently. Just because the temp gauge says it is overheating if the fan isn't running permanently how can it be???? does that make sense


this is for a DC2 should should be the same I would imagine. Check it if you have a FSM

http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/d...essida/DC2.jpg

Sorry I must have not been thinking when I answered the question, the fan works as any other car like round town, it turns on and off but on highway when its hot it is always on.

In regards to the sensor being faulty, how could the sensor being faulty only occur on the highway and not around town.

I will check it tomorrow, With the radiator fan, fins are gone!! All broken, lol

Will replace tomorrow. Should be a productive day

- Take out thermostat
- Run without thermostat to see if water pump is working
- Replace new thermostat
- Replace rad fan

See how it goes from there, I am guessing its a flow related issue. So if not head gasket will get looked at.

Update

Have done all of the above

The water pump is working perfectly.

I installed the new thermostat and thermo fan and they both seem to be working.

However the car still overheats.

I think I might have installed the thermostat incorrectly? But it seems to be working as it should car heats up, thermostat opens, bottom rad hose gets warm, fan turns on.

But when I took it for a drive it overheated as it used to on the highway

So now what do I do?

I am considering running without a thermostat to see if that helps. Only question is running without a thermostat would that still cause the thermo fan to turn on as it should?

yeah.. thermofan switch is separate to the thermostat. Its a sensor that sticks into the housing and senses water temps.

if it doesnt work and the car is severly overheating, use a paperclip to keep the fan always running

Yer thats what I thought after taking the thermostat off yesterday.

I guess I'll try it tomorrow and see how that goes, hopefully works

fingers crossed!

are you sure its not your gauge?

How do I determine if its the gauge?

What could cause the gauge to only go haywire on the highway and not around town?

its about half way down page 5. or if u know anyone that has a spare water temp gauge and sensor.

It might be that its shorting from the wind or something else.

I've been doing some research, reading asking a few mechanics and I have gained some actually good, convincing advice and ideas on what it could be.

Lower radiator hose collapsing from highway speeds b/c of load on engine?

Blocked exhaust from car being parked too long, car was parked for 2-3 months while working on it.

So got a new set of hoses on its way and getting exhaust checked this week sometime, and an air diversion plate.

Have you checked the gauge/sender unit yet? You may as well, to rule them out as the issue. It's also free to check them and would take about 5 minutes

have u changed the thermostate, in most cases its the cause of all engines to suddenly overheat...

Quote:

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Originally Posted by IEVAQ8

have u changed the thermostate, in most cases its the cause of all engines to suddenly overheat...

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I just changed it 2 days ago, made no difference. Car still overheats when I'm on h'way

Are you losing coolant?

nope, not that I can see

Quote:

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Originally Posted by fromdeeeast

I just changed it 2 days ago, made no difference. Car still overheats when I'm on h'way

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possible blown head gasket that is leaking into the cylinder???

Ok, update

Car was less prone to overheating after I changed coolant again and flushed and released all the air. Didn't overheat all!!! :D

However thermo fan was broken so install the new one and see how it goes, I think the thermostat was stuffed

LAST UPDATE

This is an important note to all

READ THE F&@#!N INSTRUCTIONS BEFORE YOU DO SOMETHING

I had to learn this the hard way. 3 weeks and endless of hours searching and asking and $350 later.....I learnt

It was something very, very stupid on my behalf.

On my first experience where it overheated I had a broken thermo fan so I bought one from supercheap and installed it and this was the start of my highway overheating issues.

Turns out I installed the thermo fan the wrong way, as in the fan was spinning in the wrong direction causing air to move from HOT engine bay to the outside of radiator to environment, which in turn when driving on highway would cause a neutral airflow resulting in the car overheating.

I read this today after being pissed off, fed up I decided to use the search feature for the 13th time and search overheating issues. I came across FastFwd post in a thread.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by FastFwd

I had the same issue a couple years back but i found out what it was shortly after. I was doing work on installing a new radiator and i wired up the fan the wrong way so it spun in the opposite direction so when there was enough wind force the fan and the wind would cancel each other out but it would only happen on highways/freeways when doing 90-100. I doubt your having the same problem but i thought i would put in my two cents. Outerwise get your garden hose and undo the top radiator tube and just give it a good flush for 5 mins and if you've already had a service on it two years ago then get a new thermostat.

Otherwise dude your welcome to borrow my stock radiator to try and resolve the problem. Your in perth hey.

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So the light bulb upstairs switched on and I ran and grabbed the box for the fan and read the instructions. "To change the fans direction change the polarity of the connection" so I initially had it pos-pos and neg-neg as in any electrical connection, I changed it to pos-neg and neg-pos and VWALLAH

No more overheating, I had initially made the same mistake as FastFwd in his post.

So after a new radiator, thermostat, thermo fan and hose kit the issue is fixed because of my stupidity.

Search feature.....best use of ozhonda!

lol good work

dont know if this helps.. I had an overheating issue where the water in the radiator would push into the reserve bottle and spill out from there.. I have a tiny radiator for the del sol.. After days of replacing water and babying her.. Was guaranteed by d mechanic it was my radiator cap and the ..by pass valve? On it was busted.. Change the cap for 15bux annd she hasnt had an issue since..